Science News

People who played the Prisoners Dilemma were less likely to cooperate when the other player was a male human or AI, and exploited female players.

New research shows that childhood environments shape lifelong memory through a single molecular switch that controls learning-related gene activity. In animal models, enriched early experiences activated this switch, str...

Ancient anaconda fossils show that the snakes became giants soon after emerging in Miocene South America. Their size has stayed stable for over 12 million years, even though other huge reptiles went extinct. Surprisingly...

People buried in "hanging coffins" thousands of years ago in China and Southeast Asia have finally been identified through DNA research.

Mental illness is typically defined by its challenges, but growing evidence shows it is also linked to surprising strengths. Certain psychological conditions are associated with enhanced creativity, social sensitivity, e...

By blocking a molecule that pushes the immune system into overdrive, a vaccine protects mice from life-threatening anaphylaxis

Scientists have identified a previously unseen layered organization inside one of the brains most important memory hubs. The CA1 region of the hippocampus was found to contain four distinct bands of neuron types, each de...

From Mickey 17 and M3gan 2.0 to a musical about the end of the world, this was an eclectic year for science-fiction films. Film columnist Simon Ings shares his two breakout hits

Feedback is entertained by the commotion at the International Association for Cryptologic Research's recent elections, where results could not be decrypted after an "honest but unfortunate human mistake"

Feeling alienated in others' company, or "existential isolation", can happen to us all. David Robson digs into the psychological literature for a solution for one reader

Pet owners' increasing tendency to see their animals as children rather than dogs or cats can have dire consequences. Owners, and veterinarians, should be wary, warns Eddie Clutton

From animal rivals to Jane Goodall's last thoughts, enjoy 2025's best science documentaries, says our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley

What were the year's top sci-fi shows? Andor and Severance are still up there, but our TV columnist Bethan Ackerley also has some unexpected tips to share

A major scientific review reveals a deep knowledge gap in how cognition is affected when schizophrenia and personality disorders occur together. Despite the high prevalence and severe outcomes tied to this dual diagnosis...

We know that pets influence our microbiome, but scientists have now found that having a dog seems to change this ecosystem in a way that could boost our well-being

The covid-19 pandemic opened the door to once-controversial human challenge trials. Now, volunteers are willingly catching norovirus and influenza to reveal how our immune systems really fight back

More than half a million satellites are planned to launch by the end of the 2030s, and simulations suggest they will have a severe impact on space-based astronomy

Ancient genomes from southern Africa show that people evolved in isolation for upward of 100,000 years.

Thulium fiber lasers, operating at a wavelength of 2 micrometers, are valued for applications in medicine, materials processing, and defense. Their longer wavelength makes stray light less damaging compared to the more c...

Huge "regreening" efforts in China over the past few decades have activated the country's water cycle and moved water in ways that scientists are just now starting to understand.

A new analysis of July temperatures in Death Valley between 1923 and 2024 suggests the world record near-surface air temperature of 134 F measured in July 1913 may be erroneous.

Conventionally, the moon is thought to have formed during one big impact, but a three-impact model might make more sense